This invention is related to a passenger carrying body, such as a gondola, having a controlled rate of descent and means for increasing the rate of descent by removing the air beneath the gondola, during a portion of its descent. For example, a fire escape apparatus must be able to safely but quickly lower the occupants of a building.
High-rise buildings present a problem for removing occupants when a fire occurs in a building. Fire trucks having extendible ladders can remove tenants from only limited heights. Occupants are normally warned not to use elevator shafts during a fire because of the draft and smoke. Further, cable-suspended elevators are limited in height, are slow, and may be unsafe, for example, if the elevator should be disabled.
Some mechanical rescue systems for multi-floor buildings have been disclosed, however, they have limited utility. For example, such a system is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,224 which issued to Sept. 21, 1982 to Freidrich Jochum, Ernst Landsberg, and Plano Zschernack.
Some massive skyscrapers are contemplated for the future. For example, a 500 story skyscraper is being considered in Tokyo. The time for removing an occupant from the to or even intermediate heights either by a mechanical escape device or an elevator would be substantial and most likely ineffective.
My prior U.S. tates Pat. No. 4,545,574 which issued Oct. 8, 1985 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,410 which issued Dec. 11, 1984 issued to John J. Sassak disclosed a vertical shaft with a spherical, passenger-carrying gondola that could be raised to various heights by raising the air pressure beneath the gondola using a turbine mounted at the base of the shaft. One advantage of commercial versions of such an arrangement is that it is relatively safe because as the gondola descends in the shaft, it compresses the air to form a cushion. The turbine also provides means for raising the gondola to a desired height.
U.S. Pat. No. 817,381 which issued Apr. 10, 1906 to Charles I. Matson discloses a gondola mounted on a piston. The piston is supported in a vertical shaft, and raised and lowered by compressed air. The gondola is lowered until the piston cuts-off the escape of air from the shaft through a conduit at which time the confined air below the piston acts as a spring or cushion to gradually retard its motion and bring it to a full stop.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,934 which issued Oct. 31, 1978 to Pierre A. Nieto de Moreno discloses apparatus for decelerating a body descending body through a tubular shaft. The shaft has an extensible shaft wall filled with pressurized fluid. The fluid pressure is regulated to apply a retarding force on the descending body.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,229,201 which issued Jan. 21, 1941 to M. E. Williford, et al. discloses another gondola which descends through a shaft by gravity for a certain distance, and then is accelerated at a greater rate during a portion of its descent.
Solenoid coils are employed for increasing the rate of descent of the gondola so that it travels with an acceleration greater than that of gravity. The coils would only be effective when the car is within the range of its magnetic force.
A simple fire escape chute is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,659 which issued Apr. 8, 1986 to Ralph T. Baker.